Ministry seeks private investment to renovate six airports

In a report submitted to the government recently, the ministry said the Na San Airport in the northern province of Son La; the Vinh, Chu Lai and Tho Xuan airports in the central provinces of Nghe An, Quang Nam and Thanh Hoa respectively; the Lien Khuong Airport in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong; and Can Tho Airport in the eponymous city in southern Vietnam should be upgraded to meet the development demand of their locality.

The renovation will include the building of new terminals, runway extension and additional parking lots to allow the airports to receive bigger aircraft, serve more passengers and process more cargo.

If approved, the ministry will prepare a specific plan for the renovation and collect feedback from other government agencies and local administrations before submitting it to the government for approval.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), which functions under the ministry, the investment needed for airport infrastructure upgrades is huge, prompting the mobilization of private investment.

Work began in August to build the Sa Pa airport in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, home to the resort town of Sa Pa, under the PPP format. A feasibility study said the project would cost VND3.65 trillion ($155.8 million), including VND661 billion in state funds.

Late last year, the government had approved in principle the building of Quang Tri airport in the namesake central province as a PPP project.

Vietnam currently has 22 civilian airports, and late last year the ministry had increased the number to 28 by 2030 and 31 by 2050, including 14 international airports.

According to the CAAV, the aviation sector served 75 million passengers in the first nine months of this year, up 162.4% year-on-year.